


Wait For Me

by cleopatras



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mixed Signals, Sapnap is painfully oblivious, Sexuality Crisis, library meetcute, more coming of age novel than angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28057395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatras/pseuds/cleopatras
Summary: When he wakes up, his cheek is warm from being against the book for God knows how long and he rubs the sleep from his eyes. He takes note of his surroundings, the library still bright and fluorescent as if it were daytime, but he knew it was late judging by the night sky on the other side of the large windows.There’s another person there with him, other than that, it’s completely abandoned. The boy sitting a few seats away has scruffy brunette hair and is wearing something that could only be described as a ‘Grandpa’ sweater. He seems to take note of Sapnap’s sudden consciousness, his face lighting up.Sapnap accidentally falls asleep in the university library and a stranger waits with him. Friendship and other hijinks ensue.
Relationships: Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 138
Kudos: 1023
Collections: reread when ur sad <3





	1. Don't Laugh

Sapnap doesn’t quite remember what time he fell asleep, all he knew was that he had definitely fallen face-first into a computer programming textbook and it was  _ not  _ a comfortable pillow. It was finals week which meant the university library was open twenty-four hours and apparently Sapnap’s subconscious had interpreted that as naptime. He supposed it was his own fault for not just studying in his dorm, but when his roommate had his boyfriend over, the library was more or less a sanctuary. It wasn’t that his male roommate having a boyfriend bugged him, he loved Dream no matter what, he just didn’t need to see it  _ all the time _ . That was all, nothing serious.

When he wakes up, his cheek is warm from being against the book for God knows how long and he rubs the sleep from his eyes. He takes note of his surroundings, the library still bright and fluorescent as if it were daytime, but he knew it was late judging by the night sky on the other side of the large windows. 

There’s another person there with him, other than that, it’s completely abandoned. The boy sitting a few seats away has scruffy brunette hair and is wearing something that could only be described as a ‘Grandpa’ sweater. He seems to take note of Sapnap’s sudden consciousness, his face lighting up.

“Oh, you’re up!” he exclaimed, “I was starting to think you were gonna sleep through the night.”

“What time is it?” Sapnap grumbled, stretching out and closing his textbook with a groan.

“Not much past three,” the boy shrugged, checking his phone, “I was waiting for you.”

He furrowed his brows at this, “Why?” 

“You were alone and I wanted to make sure no one messed with your stuff and that you got home alright,” the boy spoke casually as if saying up until three in the morning for the safety of a stranger was something he did every other day, “Plus, I had a shit ton of work to do, so in a way, you helped me more than I helped you because there’s no way I would have finished this tonight. I’m Karl, by the way.” 

“Sapnap,” he responded, his voice still groggy at the notion of having just woken up. He was still tired, so he wondered why his body had bothered to wake up at all. Still, he wasn’t complaining. He would much rather be in his bed right now rather than a stiff library chair. “Or Nick, if that’s less weird, sorry, weird childhood nickname just kinda stuck.”

The boy, Karl, just shrugged, “I like Sapnap, it’s interesting. How’d you even get it?”

His brain is so exhausted he can’t even register how this guy has so much more energy than a normal person should. The white Monster can next to Karl seems to be an indicator as to how this is possible. 

He rubs the back of his neck, a small smile forming on his face as he remembers the story, “Uh, an old Minecraft username, my best friend came up with it. It’s nothing crazy, just, yeah. Sorry, I don’t like, wanna come across as rude, you’re obviously super nice, I’m just tired.”

Karl laughed at this, shoving his stuff into what looked like a messy backpack— Sapnap heard the familiar sound of paper being crushed when he put one of his notebooks away. “No biggie, it’s super late. What hall are you in?” 

“What are you gonna walk me home?” Sapnap jokes, but the boy’s expression didn’t change. “Uh, Martin, you?”

“Taylor,” he answered, which of course, was not too far away, “Aw, we’re neighbors.”

Sapnap laughed genuinely at the boy’s sarcastically cheerful tone, nodding, “Yeah, something like that. You heading out?”

The question was unnecessary considering Karl was already standing, launching his empty Monster can into a nearby trash can, turning back to face Sapnap, “Sure am. Wanna walk together?”

“I feel like it’d be a little awkward for us to both head in the same direction if we didn’t,” Sapnap laughed, his words a little slow still on account of his sleep deprivation. He packed up his stuff and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Heading towards the exit with Karl by his side. Now that they were standing, he could see that Karl was the slightest bit taller than him. This was surprising not because Sapnap was super tall himself, but because he looked far shorter when sitting down. 

The night air was cold against his skin, the early days of December lingering in the temperature and worsened by the time of night. Looking out into the inky darkness only broken up by the occasional dim streetlight, Sapnap was actually kind of glad he had someone walking with him. It wasn’t that he was  _ scared _ of the dark he was just… discomforted by it. Which was perfectly normal. Beside him, Karl had no reservations about their surroundings, walking as casually as if it were three in the afternoon and the walkway was sunlit and packed with students. It was a sharp contrast to Sapnap’s tense shoulders.

He thought he was being slick, but Karl commented on it, “Dude, chill out. You’re not scared of the dark, are you?”

“That sounded like a line from a horror movie right before the camera cuts to the slasher watching us from the bushes,” he responds, looking around him just to make sure. You can never be too careful. “And  _ no,  _ I’m not scared of the dark. I’m  _ cautious.  _ There’s a difference.”

Karl chuckled at this, “Same thing, nice try, though. Don’t worry, they’d probably kill me first.”

“They always kill the scrawny white boy  _ last!”  _ Sapnap laughed, “It goes like this, the black person dies first, then the fat kid, then the slutty girl, and  _ then  _ the scrawny kid. Then the virgin or whatever kills the guy, but at what cost? C’mon, it’s like you’ve never seen a slasher in your life.”

“I’m literally a film major,” Karl laughed, “But yeah, you’re right. Have you considered pursuing film analysis?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Sapnap shoved him playfully to the side, stopping himself for a moment. They met literally five minutes ago, but they bicker in a way similar to the way he and Dream do and they’ve been friends for about eight or so years. He almost forgets that he barely knows Karl, “So, film major, tell me, are you a Tarantino kid or an A24 kid.”

The boy next to him shakes his head, “Neither. I liked _Kill Bill_ because, you know, Uma Thurman, but I couldn’t get behind any of his other stuff. A24 is all right, but if it takes two to three watches for people to _really_ get the point of your movie, you’re totally doing it wrong. I think I had to watch _Hereditary_ like four times before I put together most of the pieces.”

“Okay, so what  _ is  _ your favorite movie then?’

“Don’t laugh,” Karl points at him with raised eyebrows as if waiting for him to make a noise. Sapnap shakes his head and he continues, “Okay, okay, so normally, I tell people a fake answer like  _ Fight Club  _ or  _ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind _ to seem like, cool and indie, but it’s late and you seem like you wouldn’t judge me so I’ll tell you.”

Sapnap laughs, “I’m shivering with anticipation. On the edge of my seat.”

“Piss off,” he chuckles, nodding, “Okay, okay, so it’s a three-way tie.  _ Meet The Robinsons,  _ total classic,  _ Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,  _ not because it’s a good movie, but because it contains both young Keanu Reeves  _ and _ Alex Winter wearing a crop top so it’s obviously in the top three, and then… get ready, this is my most shameful secret,  _ Legally Blonde.” _

He promised he wouldn’t laugh, but he was trying  _ really  _ hard to hold it back right now. Karl seems to notice this, exclaiming, “You said you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I’m not laughing  _ at  _ the choices! I’m laughing because that is a weird ass combination of favorite movies,” he gives up on holding it back as he bursts into a fit of laughter. “ _ Legally Blonde _ is a good movie!”

“I know it is!” 

“Okay!” 

“Okay!” Karl repeats, “I wanna hear yours, this has to be an even trade.”

Sapnap shakes his head, “No, mine are worse.”

“How could they possibly be worse?”

“The amount of times I’ve watched  _ Mamma Mia  _ and enjoyed it thoroughly is ungodly,” Sapnap says through choked laughs as they begin to approach Sapnap’s building. “Okay, but that’s not number one, I gotta be honest, number one is probably  _ Scream _ .”

Karl nodded at this, “Okay, respect. I understand the  _ Mamma Mia  _ thing, but yeah,  _ Scream  _ is a classic. Not to mention, the Skeet Ulrich and Matthew Lillard killer combo was just… iconic. Watching that when I was younger was… pivotal for me.”

Sapnap’s mind lingered on this as the conversation came to a natural lull. Karl cited Uma Thurman as a reason for him liking  _ Kill Bill,  _ but also mentioned Keanu Reeves, and now…  _ Scream.  _ He was trying not to think too hard about it, but his mind was hovering on it. He decided not to say anything about it. It wasn’t like it mattered, he and Karl were probably never gonna talk after this. 

“All right, I guess, here’s where I leave you,” Karl smiled as they stood outside the entrance. “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to get murdered on the way back to my building.  
“Okay, okay, but like, wait, can I ask something?” He’s still curious about one thing about this odd interaction. “Why’d you wait for me? Like, I’m just some random dude.” 

Karl shrugged, “Eh, like I said, wanted to make sure no one stole your stuff or anything. Plus, I’m pretty sure our best friends know each other? I’ve seen you around with that guy, Dream, right?” 

Sapnap nodded.

“Yeah! Okay, I remembered he had some weird name. Anyway, yeah, I’m really good friends with Alex, you know Alex?” 

Sapnap made the connection, nodding, “Yeah! I do, I’ve seen him like once or twice at parties he’s got like the… the beanie, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him,” Karl nodded, “Anyway, couldn’t let a friend of a friend of a friend get robbed, I guess.”

So, he really was just… a nice person. Sapnap doesn’t know why he’s surprised by this, Karl gives off weirdly positive energy. It’s… different from what he’s used to. 

“Oh, okay,” he’s sort of at a loss for what to say, but he hopes it doesn’t show, “So, uh, goodnight then, I guess?”

“Goodnight,” Karl mock salutes as he begins to back up from where they’re standing. Before he walks away completely, he stops and turns to face Sapnap one last time, “If you tell anyone about  _ Legally Blonde,  _ I’ll find you, and I’ll kill you.”

Sapnap laughed, holding up two fingers, “Scout’s honor.” 

With that, Karl disappears and Sapnap enters his building, ready to pass out the moment he closes the door behind him. 


	2. I Thought Of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month now, Sapnap and Karl see each other at a party.

It wasn’t until after the semester break that Sapnap saw Karl again. It was January now, a new year, a new semester. He had barely thought about that encounter that occurred, but he recognized Karl the moment he saw him again. They were at a party now, the room dimly lit only by LED lights and everyone holding plastic cups filled with things that weren’t really legal for them to be having. It was some random fraternity party Dream was invited to since he was somehow cool with all of the frat guys, so seeing someone like Karl there was jarring, to say the least. 

“Weird name guy!” Karl exclaimed the moment their eyes met. He looked so out of place in his dark red sweater and cuffed jeans, high top converse, and fluffy brown hair. Compared to the guys who were either wearing muscle tanks (in January, nonetheless) or were so drunk already they had abandoned their shirts, he was a sore thumb. He was also clearly a little under the influence, but he didn’t seem to be that far off from how he normally was if their one interaction was anything to show for it. “Dude, I totally meant to get your number like two months ago and then I never saw you again so I was like, great, that sucks and now, here you are!”

Sapnap laughed as the boy stumbled over to him like they were old friends. He took a sip of his own drink before asking, “And how many have you had?”

“Like, two, I just pregamed with a shit ton of Monster, but that’s just a normal Tuesday night,” Karl giggled, “Anyway, no, like it’s good to see you again, really. I was starting to think you were just a figment of my imagination, honestly.”

“You imagined me?”

“I thought of you,” Karl replied, “Mm, that’s a call back to  _ Portrait of a Lady on Fire,  _ I’m sure you’d like that one. It’s French.”

“Oh, are you gonna explain French films to me? What a cliché you are, Jacobs,” he teased, shoving the boy playfully. He was amazed how them getting along easily hadn’t just been a sleep-deprived one-off event, but they had some alcohol to grease their gears, so that could be a part of it, too. Still, he had a feeling they would be good friends if they gave each other the chance. “How’ve you been?”

Karl shrugged, “Better now. I can barely hear you, though, can we scoot away from all the… testosterone?”

He laughed and nodded, grabbing Karl’s elbow and dragging him along into a hallway that was a little further away from the heat of the party. “So, how’d you end up at a party like this?”

He just shrugged again, leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, “I, uh, know a guy.”

“You’re friends with frat guys? On purpose?” Sapnap snorted, finishing the rest of his drink and immediately wishing he had more. Karl seemed to notice this because he didn’t hesitate to hand over his own drink and shove his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, I’m not friends with any of them,” Karl shook his head, avoiding Sapnap’s eyes as he mumbled, “Uh, let’s just say I know some of them… biblically.”

“Oh.”  _ Oh.  _ Sapnap realizes this is not the reaction he should have had, so he rushes to say, “Oh, yeah, that’s… I probably should have seen that coming, sorry for asking. Uh, it’s chill, uh, Dream’s gay.”

Karl laughed at this, his cheeks still red as he said, “You’re fine, I figured you knew already, didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you, though, I thought bringing up Alex Winter in a crop top got the message across. For a CompSci major, you’re dumber than you look. Come on, let’s get more to drink.”

“Hey!” Sapnap exclaimed, following the boy to the kitchen, “I’m not dumb, I just didn’t want to make an assumption about a stranger! Sheesh! Hand me the— the, uh, Ice.”

“Got ya,” Karl reached into the cooler that was sitting on the counter and handed him the drink, pulling out some shitty beer for himself before they went back to their spot in the hallway. “You know, you’re supposed to chug that whole thing, right?”

He shook his head, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. So, I’m curious, did you hook up with frat guys, like, specifically to get into the parties, or was that just an added bonus?”

“Added bonus, they mainly do it so I won’t out them,” Karl shrugged, “But I wouldn’t do that anyway, it’s shitty. So, I get free booze for not doing something I already wouldn’t do. Win-win. Anyway, how did  _ you _ get here? Is this your crowd?”

“Oh, yeah, you know, Brad and Chad over there— ” he motioned to the crowd randomly, “Just, besties for life. Nah, these are some of Dream’s friends, I have no idea why they wanna be cool with him so bad but he’s kind of— ” 

“A heartthrob?” Karl asked, finishing his sentence, “Yeah, Alex is always telling me how much girls love to try and ask him out until he tells them he has a  _ boy _ friend. It’s the height, I’m telling you. If he was my height, no one would give a shit.”

Sapnap laughed at this, taking a long sip of his drink and wincing at the flavor. Then again, no one drank vodka for the taste of it. “C’mon, don’t sell yourself… short.”

“Piss off, I’m taller than you,” the other boy scoffed, straightening out as if trying to prove his point. 

“Oh, are you?” Sapnap asked, biting his lip as he straightened up as much as he could even though he already knew Karl was taller. Maybe it was the alcohol buzzing in his veins, but when Karl stepped just a little bit closer, he could have sworn his heart started racing. Still, it was probably just the buzz. He took another sip of his drink just to be sure. There was barely any space between them; it was pretty obvious who was taller now.

Karl bit back his grin, taking one more sip of his beer as he whispered, “Told you so.”

He wonders if it’s the alcohol’s fault his eyes keep flicking to Karl’s lips. No, this is all in his head. He’s imaging something that isn’t there— they’re hardly even _friends_. It doesn’t matter that Karl just admitted to hooking up with men, it doesn’t matter that their chests have stayed pressed together for probably longer than they should. None of that matters. 

Until Karl is kissing him. In retrospect, he should have seen this coming. What he didn’t see coming was how much he liked it. He had never kissed boys before, he had never considered it. He had seen Dream do it— he’d seen Dream do the exact thing he was doing right now which was kiss random boys at parties. It never meant anything and it was certainly something Sapnap had never considered doing himself. Still, he let himself kiss Karl back for a moment, knowing he could blame it on the alcohol later. He could blame  _ everything _ on the drink in his hand and it would be fine. However, this was starting to go on a little longer than his drunkenness would excuse. 

Pushing Karl off of him, he exclaimed with wide eyes, “Woah, hey, what was that? I’m not— I’m not, I’m not like you.”

“Oh, shit!” Karl put his hand over his mouth, “Did I… did I read this whole thing wrong? I thought, no, like, I thought we were flirting this whole time. Was I… was that just me?”

“You were  _ flirting?”  _ Sapnap asked, his brain trying to remember every single thing Karl had ever said to him which was hard to do considering his brain kept replaying the memory of Karl’s lips against his over and over again. 

“Okay, so it was just me,” the other boy mumbled, chuckling nervously, “We can just… sorry, I’m sorry, look, I totally misread that. I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry. Look, crap, okay, are we cool? Like, I didn’t mess this up or anything, right? Because you’re like, really chill and I totally misread the whole situation that’s on me, I— ”

Sapnap shook his head, cutting him off, “No, yeah, you’re fine, no, it’s totally fine. I just… am kind of stupid, I guess. You referenced a French lesbian move, I really should have seen it coming.”

“So you  _ do  _ know what  _ Portrait of a Lady on Fire  _ is? Why didn’t you tell me? Dude, I can talk about that movie forever, like, I  _ love _ a good period drama,” Karl exclaimed and just like that, things were normal again as if they hadn’t just kissed moments ago. He had to give it to him, Karl handled rejection incredibly well. Sapnap just wasn’t sure if  _ he  _ was handling the rejection because his mind just kept going back to that  _ feeling.  _ Whatever Karl was saying was unfortunately falling on deaf ears because his mind was still about five minutes in the past. Part of him wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t pushed Karl away. Part of him wanted to find out.

“Sap? There you are!” he heard a familiar voice coming around the corner and soon enough Dream was standing there. “Oh, hey, Karl. I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

“Yeah, we’re, uh, acquaintances,” Karl shrugged, “What’s up?”

“Oh, right, yeah, Sap, George is wasted I was gonna take him home, you coming?” Dream asked, pointing over to his shoulder where George was slouched over on the couch. Sapnap nodded before he could say or do something he regretted with Karl.

“Wait, Sapnap, can I get your number? Just so we don’t have to just, like, run into each other once a month in order to interact,” Karl asked, but he seemed to notice the boy’s hesitation as he added in a whisper so Dream wouldn’t hear, “For purely platonic purposes, scout’s honor.”

Sapnap chuckled softly as he pulled out his phone and handed it over to Karl with a new contact page ready. “You know, you say scout’s honor a lot, were you ever even a boy scout?” 

Karl shook his head, “Nope, but it’s the thought that counts. See you around, Sap.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I was gonna wait until I had pre-written a little more, but then I remembered that I crave validation and praise so here's another chapter! also, feel free to check out the [spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5nLYXBKy9QZ7okZD1um95s) it'll be updated periodically with new songs that fit the vibe of the story and it might be nice to listen to while you read!


	3. Text Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George and Dream help Sapnap through what might be a revelation.

“Dream, how did you know you were gay? Or, well, liked guys,” Sapnap asked that next morning. George was hungover and grumbling over in Dream’s bed, but Dream was wide awake sitting at his desk working on homework. You know, the way perfectly normal people did the night after a frat party.

Dream turned around, a curious smile on his face as he asked, “Where… where is this coming from? You having a revelation or something?” 

“No, no, I’m just asking! Like, we’ve known each other forever and I’ve never asked, so…”

“He’s totally having a revelation,” George grumbles from under the sheets. “I can smell it from here.”

Sapnap gasps, gabbing the pillow from his own bed and throwing it at George. The plan backfired because the boy just chuckled and wrapped his arm around the pillow, seemingly more comfortable than he was before. He just grumbled and pulled an iced coffee out of their mini-fridge (Dream insisted they get one and it’s really paid off for them). 

“Did something happen that, like, made you have the realization? I can tell you I won’t be much help to you, me discovering my sexuality is not some coming-of-age shit,” Dream scoffed as he returned to his computer to work on the homework he was before. He was still talking to Sapnap, though, who was leaning against the desk. “Like, deadass? I just was watching porn and I was like yeah, that girl’s hot, I’d love to be the person doing that to her. And then I saw the guy and was like  _ woah _ , okay, wouldn’t mind that either. Like, it’s not a cute story.” 

“Mine’s better!” George exclaimed from the bed, still not sitting up. “Your story sucks, Dream.”

Dream gasped, “I literally warned you! I said it wasn’t a good story! No one listens around here! You never answered me, Sap, what brought this on?” 

“No, it’s… it’s embarrassing because like, I’m dumb,” Sapnap mumbled, drowning the rest of his sentence in his coffee. His friend raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for more. He knew he couldn’t keep this from Dream, so he might as well. “Uh, okay, you remember Karl from the party? The one I was talking to before we left?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I love Karl, what about him?”

“Why does everyone know this guy but me?”

George answered this from the bed, saying, “You don’t really get out much.”

“Hey!” he exclaimed, but Dream just cut him off.

“What about Karl?”

“He kissed me,” he spoke more into his coffee than he did to Dream and it was clear by the boy’s reaction that he hadn’t heard. He groaned and spoke up, “He kissed me. At the party. Like, I pushed him off of me and everything because I was like ‘Woah, I’m straight,’ but like…”

Dream’s face looked  _ this _ close to a laugh, of which he was very clearly holding back, “You totally kissed him back, didn’t you? That’s so gay, dude.” 

“That’s pretty gay,” added George.

“Hey, you,” Sapnap pointed to George, “You shut up or go be hungover in your own fucking dorm, okay? This is a best bro conversation, not a best bro and best bro’s snooty British boyfriend conversation!” 

George finally sat up at this, looking offended, “I am not snooty! Besides, don’t you want multiple perspectives? He’s bi, I’m gay, we can help you figure out which one works, sheesh. I’m being helpful.”

“You’re being so helpful, babe,” Dream reassured with a nod, still trying his hardest not to laugh. His gaze flickering between Sapnap and George, he finally couldn’t help himself as he burst into a fit of laughter that had Sapnap genuinely questioning whether or not he was still breathing. Through wheezes, he forced out, “You guys are fucking ridiculous. Both of you. Okay, Sapnap, listen to me, lightning round, okay? How drunk were you?”

“Not very.”

“How drunk was he?”

“Not very.”

“Would you kiss him dead sober?”

“Maybe.”

Dream shook his head, still smiling, “There’s— listen, I hate to break it to you, there’s no fucking  _ way _ you’re straight. Okay, okay, like, what’s the first thing you notice about him?”

“I don’t know!” Sapnap exclaimed, “Like, sometimes his hair is fluffier than usual or like, his smile, I don’t know!”

“Gay!” Said the boy from the bed to which Sapnap responded by flipping him off. “You can’t get mad at me for that, Dream, that’s so gay, right?”

His friend shrugged, “It’s a little gay, dude.”

“Okay, so? It doesn’t have to like… mean anything!” he argued, but he wasn’t sure if he was defending his point from his friends or from himself. “Like, I don’t have to… act on it.”

Dream nodded solemnly at this, saying, “Yes, the 1940’s strategy, I like it. You can do better, though.”

“Dream,” he whined, not really sure what else to say. It may seem lighthearted and funny, but he really was confused as hell. He had never… he had never thought about boys like that before. At least, not that he remembered. He was sure if he did some digging, he  _ might _ find something, but it was still a tough conversation to have with himself. 

“Listen, you don’t have to go around identifying as something you’re not sure about yet, but I’m gonna be super real with you if you kiss a boy once and you start worrying about whether or not you’re gay or like boys or whatever, that’s not… that’s not something straight people do. I mean, like, okay, this is a bad example probably, but George you’ve kissed girls, right?”

George nodded, leaning off the edge of the bed, “A few times before I came out, and once after, it was a dare at a party, nothing special.”

“Okay, but it was  _ after _ you decided you only like guys?” Dream asked and his boyfriend nodded, “You didn’t go around thinking that you might like girls, right?”

George shook his head and Dream turned back to Sapnap, “There’s no timetable on figuring this out, really. Personally, I think it sounds like you’ve got a little crush on Karl, but I can’t be the one to tell you that, only you can tell yourself that. Make sense?”

Sapnap sighed and nodded, “Yeah, it makes sense, it’s just… tough.”

“I know, if anyone here is gonna know exactly how you feel right now, it’s gonna be me and George,” Dream nodded. He was all fun and games until he could tell that Sapnap was really struggling with something and that was something he was incredibly grateful for right now. “Just know you can always talk to me about this stuff. George can help, too, but he’s more likely to be a bitch about it.”

“Hey!”

“Love you,” Dream mused and the boy just grumbled in response. Still, somewhere in the grumbles a  _ “Love you, too,” _ could be heard. Sapnap just shook his head at the two of them. “Anyway, you should hang out with Karl, though. He’s a chill dude and he could probably help you out with this stuff, too.”

“I don’t wanna talk to him about this stuff when he’s the one that brought this on! That’s so embarrassing,” Sapap groaned, “This whole thing is so… did you know Karl was flirting with me the whole time and I just didn’t notice? He literally told me about how he hooked up with frat guys and I just what? I fuckin’ smiled and nodded.”

Dream laughed at this, “No, no, I shouldn’t laugh, I shouldn’t. That’s really fucking funny, though. Sapnap, I—” 

The rest of his sentence was cut off by his laughter and Sapnap resisted the urge to smack him upside the head as he reminded him, “It’s not funny! It’s not funny, dude, I’m having a fucking crisis!” 

“Oh, my  _ god,”  _ George groaned, “You wanna know my advice? Just… just fuck him and get it over with, deal with the feelings shit later. That’s what Dream and I did.”

“I didn’t need to know that.”

“Yeah, we had crushes on each other, but neither of us knew what to do so what did we do?” Dream asked, clearly building up to something that Sapnap did not need to hear.

“Banged it out,” George finished, holding his hand for a high-five which Dream was able to meet without looking. 

“I fucking hate both of you,” Sapnap stood up, “I hate you both so much that I physically cannot be in this dorm anymore, I’m gonna go get coffee—”

“You’re holding coffee,” Dream noted.

“— I’m gonna go get more coffee, just so I don’t have to see your stupid little faces. George, I don’t like your advice, I’m gonna be real with you, I don’t,” Sapnap continued, unbothered by Dream’s interruption. 

With that, he left the dorm, hearing the fits of laughter behind him, but not caring. He threw away the bottle his coffee had been in, heading towards the cafe on campus to get more just so he had an excuse to not be in his dorm. He really was happy that Dream found someone who was as much of an idiot as he was, but sometimes, he just needed to be away from them. He loved Dream, but he really  _ did  _ have to do some thinking of his own.

That being said, the universe must  _ hate _ him. As soon as he pushes the door open to the cafe, he sees Karl sitting at one of the tables with his friend Alex next to him, the two boys sipping their drinks while occasionally giggling about something on their phones with each other. Sapnap thinks he’s going to kill himself if they notice his presence. He tries not to give himself away as he orders, keeping an eye on them out of the corner of his vision. He gets his drink and is headed for the exit, thinking he can totally get away with this when he hears—

“Sapnap, hey!” Karl waves him over and Sapnap forces a smile onto his face as he walks over to their table, “Hey, this is my friend, Alex, I was telling you about. Alex, this is Sapnap.”

“Hey, what’s up?” Alex greets him with a smile on his face, “You’re the one from the library, right? Karl told me about you.”

He groans, “Is that, is that really how I’m gonna be known to you now?”

“It’s how we met, how is that bad?” Karl exclaimed, sounding offended, “ _ Anyways _ , how was your morning? Is George super hungover? He was, like,  _ out _ last night.”

“Yeah, he’s living rent-free in my fucking dorm right now,” Sapnap scoffed, taking a sip of his drink, “That was, uh, quite the party last night.”

“Yeah, quite,” Karl repeats, shooting a nervous glance towards Alex and it dawns on Sapnap that he didn’t tell his friend what happened last night. Sapnap doesn’t know whether he’s disappointed or relieved. 

“Uh,” Sapnap is at a loss for what to say because he’s incredibly focused on the fact that Karl has freckles he hadn’t noticed before— apparently they were poorly visible in the middle of the night in the dark hallway of a party. “Yeah, uh, sorry, I should probably get back to my dorm, I’ve already got a massive paper due, but I’ll… I’ll text you. Nice meeting you, Alex.”

Karl nods at this, saying, “I forgot you were a fancy CompSci major, big smart guy. Yeah, yeah, text me, see you around, Sap.”

Sapnap nods and leaves the cafe, taking a deep breath. For just a moment, he stands there, wondering what would happen if he went back in there and kissed Karl the same way he had kissed him last night. If this were a movie, maybe that’s how he would handle things. However, this was real life and Sapnap had no fucking idea what was going on with him. Still, he knew that Dream had a point. He was  _ definitely  _ not straight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for such a response on this story! i know karlnap is a less popular ship so i really wasn't expecting that much engagement with this story so thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!!
> 
> and on a less sweet note, my beta reader read the part about dream and George "banging it out" and proceeded to tell me that's how their girlfriend and them got together so uhh at least i know my writing is realistic!!


	4. Are You Serious?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karl bugs Sapnap while he writes his paper. They plan a date (it's not a date).

Sapnap was trying his best to push the idea of Karl far, far out of reach in his mind, but the boy kept crawling back into his thoughts like he lived there. It was infuriating, to say the least. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Karl, his weird thing with Karl was his exact problem. How do you tell someone that them kissing you  _ literally _ launched you into a sexuality crisis? You don’t. You hide it and you bury it until you die or until they’re not in your life anymore. Sapnap was hoping he could force it to be the latter option, but Karl seemed hellbent on being friends. This was nice, of course, Sapnap could always use more friends. However, he was sort of having a crisis. He had yet to act on or continue to discuss this crisis, but it was still very much happening and Sapnap was not happy about it. 

“You’ve never seen _Safety Not Guaranteed_?” Karl was asking in disbelief as they were hanging out in the cafe far earlier than Sapnap wanted to be. Granted, the hour wasn’t Karl’s fault, Sapnap was trying to finish a paper that was due in his class later today and he knew if he worked on it in the dorm room he would just get distracted. Of course, he had run into Karl who settled down next to him and was chatting away while Sapnap worked on his paper. “It’s not like the greatest movie ever, but it’s a funny concept _and_ it’s got Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson, it’s even got a Pre- _Deadpool_ Karan Soni. C’mon, it’s a classic.”

“If it’s an indie movie that won at Sundance, it’s not a classic,” Sapnap teased as he shook his head, “Also, I don’t know who Jake Johnson is.”

“Shut up, dude, he’s from  _ New Girl _ ? _ Into The Spiderverse _ ? You’ve probably seen him before you just didn’t know his name,” Karl shrugged off his explanation as he leaned with his back against Sapnap’s shoulder absentmindedly. They were sitting in the wooden booth in the corner of the cafe, tucked away from the other customers. Sapnap had chosen this spot precisely so no one would realize he was there, but of course, Karl had found him right anyway. “He’s super funny, I’m sure you’d like it. But if you’re not a “quirky indie” person then we can watch something else.”

Sapnap laughed at this, working away at his paper as he shook his head, refusing to meet Karl’s eyes, “Since when did I agree to a movie date?”

“I agreed for you, duh,” the boy spoke matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes as he nudged the boy next to him leading to him making a typo and shoving Karl back in retaliation. “I need to show you good movies eventually.”

“I don’t trust the movie taste of someone whose favorite movie is _Legally Blonde_ ,” Sapnap bit his lip to hide his smile, already expecting the offended gasp from Karl.

He was right as the boy gaped, shaking his head as he exclaimed, “Dude, you said you wouldn’t make fun of me!”

“I made that promise like two months ago, I’m a changed person, I’m a person who breaks promises now,” he shook his head, trying to look forlorn, but he couldn’t hold back the smile. He liked being friends with Karl, he really did, but the idea of a “movie date” whether it was just as friends or not was already making his heart beat out of his chest. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this…  _ fluttery _ about liking someone. He hesitated to call it a crush because, well, Karl was…  _ Karl _ . Karl seemed to be content with being friends and that was how Sapnap had wanted it so that was how it was going to stay. Sapnap was okay with that, friends was something he could do. He didn’t want to have to worry about the other stuff so if his heart could stop beating so fast the closer Karl sat to him that would be nice. 

“Just for that, I’m gonna make you watch it, I don’t care if you’ve seen it before, we’re watching it,” he insisted, pulling his knees up to his chest so his calves were pressed against the table. He wasn’t leaning on Sapnap anymore and he’ll let himself admit he missed the warmth. “You busy tonight?”

Sapnap paused his writing to turn and look over at Karl with an expression that conveyed what could only be described as  _ “Are you serious?” _ He said as much.

“Yes, I’m serious! I lose my film major rights if I don’t obnoxiously show all my friends good movies and also I just like watching movies with my friends. Alex is sick of watching movies with me, so you’re next in line because you haven’t been overexposed to me yet,” Karl said with a small laugh spilling past his lips as he tried to hide his hopeful smile behind his hand. Sapnap hated how cute he looked at that moment and that was a thought he was absolutely going to keep to himself. “So? Busy tonight?”

Sapnap couldn’t resist when he was looking at him like that so he sighed and turned back to his paper, groaning, “ _ No _ , I’m not busy tonight. So, I guess I can take some time out of my day to watch… are you  _ really _ gonna make me watch  _ Legally Blonde _ ?” 

“Well clearly you need to be reminded of how great it is, so yes,” he insisted, laughing as he relaxed his positioning so one leg was hanging off the bench. His head leaned on Sapnap’s shoulder while he wrote, the two of them falling into a content silence. After a moment, Karl muttered, “I have no idea what literally any of this means.” 

“Do you want me to try to explain it to you?” Sapnap offered, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. He was tempted to turn his head to try and look at Karl, but he knew it wouldn’t help the feelings already conflicting inside his chest. So, he stared straight ahead and tried to focus on his paper.

He felt Karl shake his head, “It’ll fall on deaf ears, don’t even try. I appreciate the offer, though.”

Sapnap just laughed at this, content with the quiet peace that had fallen between the two of them. He was beginning to figure out that Karl was very touchy with his friends and normally he wouldn’t have a problem with that, but there was something about Karl that was driving Sapnap utterly insane so having him absentmindedly playing with the loose threads from the rips in Sapnap’s jeans, his knuckles every so often brushing against the bare skin of Sapnap’s knee was really not helping his concentration. Karl seemed to be content to watch him work, both of their coffees long gone as he quieted down. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed with Sapnap peacefully working on his paper, but soon enough the alarm on his phone told him he had ten minutes left until his class was going off beside him.

He sighed, knowing he was going to have to frantically wrap up his conclusion while forgoing editing, but it was good enough to turn in for a first draft, so he would take what he could get. Sapnap turned off the alarm and shut his laptop, beginning to pack up his stuff.

Beside him, Karl was stretching out, groaning slightly as Sapnap heard his back crack from the less than comfortable seating they were sharing. He turned to Sapnap, asking, “So, what time are you done with classes today?”

“Last class gets out at 2:45,” he answered with ease, yawning as he zipped up his backpack, “So, I’ve got all afternoon.”

“Sick, wanna come over at like… 3:30? Maybe we can even get in  _ Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde _ ,” Karl teased with a raised eyebrow, waiting for Sapnap’s response.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

With reserved excitement, Karl shook his head, admitting, “I’ve got both of them on DVD, we’re totally doing it.”

“Oh, my  _ God _ ,” Sapnap exclaimed as the boy next to him stood, drumming his psalm on the table.

“See you at 3:30,” Karl spoke joyously before giving him a mock-salute as a goodbye and going through the cafe doors. Once he was gone, Sapnap shook his head to himself as a small laugh escaped his lips. He already knew that getting involved with Karl was likely going to be more trouble than it was worth, but now he had a fucking  _ movie date _ (It wasn’t a date, he reminded himself) to look forward to. He had somehow gotten himself into something and he had no idea how to get himself out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been a while since I updated this, but in my defense I was finishing up my dnf fic but now that one's done so i can focus on this!! I'll probably post more dnf in the future but right now i wanna focus on getting this one done so yay. You guys actually have my shitty laptop to thank because I've been waiting for my laptop to convert a video edit i made into a google drive file so i can send it to my phone for like an hour and i figured i might as well finally get around to updating it so everyone say thank you shitty laptop!!


	5. Legally Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's date night except neither Karl nor Sapnap are aware that it's date night.

Sapnap was nervous. Why was he nervous? It was just Karl, he could handle Karl. Besides, they were just going to watch some stupid chick flick. He wondered if Alex would be there, he and Karl seemed to be attached at the hip. A small part of him hoped the roommate wouldn’t be there, although he was going to decidedly  _ ignore  _ that part of him. It was 3:28 and Sapnap was standing outside of Karl’s dorm, trying to will himself to knock, but he wasn’t moving. It was just a movie night with a friend, there was nothing to be nervous or worried about. It was just Karl and it was just a movie. 

At 3:29 he knocked on the door. It swung open in a moment and there was Karl with his beaming smile and fluffy brown hair. That smile was going to be the death of him. 

“Hey!” Karl greeted, opening the door wider for him to enter, “Have you eaten? Please say no, because I ordered Chinese takeout, well, it’s  _ Panda Express _ so it’s white people Chinese takeout, but still. I didn’t know what you liked, so I got orange chicken just in case because everyone likes orange chicken, and well, yeah. Anyway, feel free to sit, I think Alex is coming around later, he’s got one more class today, but he’d probably ignore us anyway because he’s seen this movie quite a few times.”

Sapnap just laughed, trying to ignore the immediate panic once he realized the two of them were alone. He looked around the dorm as he settled onto the bed Karl had motioned to. It was surprisingly neat, not much mess besides a couple of sweaters on the floor that probably belonged to Karl and a beanie hanging off of the bedpost of what had to be Alex’s bed. The two desks were scattered with papers and binders, but there was still enough room for actual work to be done. It was a stark contrast to Dream and Sapnap’s dorm, that’s for sure, but in his defense, they pretty much had three people living there so it got easy for a mess to build up. 

“How many times have you  _ watched _ it for him to get sick of it?” he asked, chuckling in slight disbelief as he looks at the other boy’s cheeks turning pink. He looks away for a moment, biting his lip as he clearly tries not to answer.

After a moment, he just exclaims, “It’s my comfort movie, okay? God, I’m being judged so hard for this, unfair. I bought you  _ dinner _ !”

“All right, all right,” he caves while the other boy gets settled next to him. The bed isn’t so wide that there’s a large gap between them, but it seems as if Karl is doing his best to make sure that there’s still space which he’s grateful for— probably not grateful in the way Karl would think. Mainly because he doesn’t know how much he’d be able to actually concentrate on anything to do with the movie if he had to deal with Karl pressed up against his side the whole time. The boy reached over to the desk and grabbed a plastic bag filled with containers with various knock-off Chinese food and as Karl predicted, he went straight for the orange chicken. 

“Knew it,” Karl mumbles as he boots up his laptop, sliding the disc in, “You know they’ve like stopped making laptops with disc compartments, isn’t that stupid? Like, they take all the good movies off of Netflix and then make it so I can’t even use the DVD, ridiculous.”

“As a CompSci major, that dinosaur you call a laptop gives me a headache,” Sapnap joked, even though the computer was probably only two years old at most, it was funny to see Karl’s offended expression. Karl smacked him gently on the arm and the two settled down as the movie began to play. He really was glad that Karl was making him watch this rather than some snooty Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino film. He would take a 2000s girl power movie over that any day, but he wasn’t going to tell Karl that, that’s for sure.

They didn’t talk for a while, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. Every now and then, Sapnap would look over and see Karl with deep concentration on his face, mouthing some of the lines. He thought it was adorable, but he wasn’t going to say anything. He also noticed as the movie went on and their food disappeared, the gap between them had somehow gotten smaller and smaller to where Sapnap’s bare arm was pressed against Karl’s sweater. He wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest in fact, it was quite the opposite. He appreciated the warmth if he was being honest. 

“Dude, pay attention, this is the best part,” Karl turned to face him, ultimately catching him staring. Sapnap didn’t think to look away in time, their eyes meeting. In a brief moment, he swears he can see Karl’s eyes flick down to his lips, but he’s sure it’s a figment of his imagination. The boy’s next word is a whisper, “Sapnap?” 

The words  _ “can I try something?”  _ hang on the tip of his tongue, but the moment is over thanks to the sound of the door opening. Karl and Sapnap jump apart while Karl pauses the move mid-courtroom scene, turning to face his roommate, Alex who is standing with a skeptical look and his hand still on the doorknob.

“Am I… interrupting something?”

_ Yes.  _ Sapnap thinks before stuttering out, “No, no, we’re just watching a movie.”

“Did your class end early?” Karl asks, a twinge of what sounds like disappointment in his voice, but Sapnap thinks he must have imagined it. They were friends, Karl made sure of that, there was no way he wanted to kiss Sapnap (again, his mind reminds him). 

Alex nods, stepping into the room, his expression unchanged despite their denial. “Uh, yeah, just a few minutes. What are you watching?”

“ _Legally Blonde_ ,” Karl answers, laughing as soon as he sees Alex roll his eyes, “You won’t watch it with me, so I found someone who will.”

The boy just shakes his head as he moves to lay down on his own bed, offering a half-hearted, “You wound me.”

It isn’t long before he puts on his headphones and leaves Sapnap and Karl to the rest of their movie. Before long, they’re pressed up against one another, but Sapnap keeps his eyes firmly on the movie this time. He doesn’t want to risk anything with Alex in the room. 

Soon enough the credits are rolling across the screen and Karl goes to remove the disc, yawning and saying, “We can watch the second one another day, I don’t wanna torture you too badly.”

“You sure?” Sapnap raises his eyebrows, but Karl nods.

“Yeah, yeah, lemme walk you home, though.”

“My dorm is like two minutes away,” he laughs, stretching out as Karl stands up from the bed, shaking his head.

“I don’t care, lots of danger in a two-minute walk,” he waits for the boy to be ready before he waves to Alex and they’re out in the hallway. He’s sad to be going, but he doesn’t know how much longer he’d be able to stay in control around Karl. It’s unfair to Karl and he knows it; they agreed on friends and Sapnap shouldn't jeopardize that no matter how he feels. He owes Karl more than messy mixed signals. 

They’re oddly silent on the walk to Sapnap’s dorm and he wonders if there’s something that Karl is holding back. They stop outside the door just like they did the night they met. 

“History repeats itself,” Karl chuckles softly.

“Yeah, I was just thinking that,” he laughs, not sure what to say. There’s tension between them and he knows Karl can feel it, too. He just wishes he knew what that meant for them. 

“Um,” Karl starts, his eyes darting the floor as he toes the ground with the tip of his sneaker, fidgeting more than usual, “I have a stupid question, I could have like totally read something wrong, apparently I do that a lot with you,  _ aha _ , but, uh, before Alex walked in, were you, uh, were you gonna kiss me?” 

“I was gonna try.” Sapnap is surprised by his own honesty, but he figures there was no point in lying to Karl. He deserved the truth, that much he knew. Karl looks up, his gaze wide as if that was the last thing he expected Sapnap to say.

“Really?” The emotion in his voice is unreadable with just the one word, but he knows that Karl doesn’t seem angry or upset, so he’s got that going for him. “I— Why? I mean, I just thought, that,  _ you know _ , you…”

Sapnap cuts him off with a small laugh, his eyes darting to the cement below his feet, “Uh, yeah, turns out I may have jumped the gun on that one. Not my… smartest move.” 

“So, you… like, actually wanted to kiss me?” Karl asked and when Sapnap wills himself to look up he sees the boy is biting back a smile. When he doesn’t say anything, he adds, “I would have let you.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

He tries not to let his nerves get the best of him as he reaches out and pulls Karl forward by the collar of his sweater, pressing their lips together. Karl kisses back instantly, his hands reaching up to cup the sides of his face. It’s different when there’s no alcohol buzzing through their veins or indecision plaguing his thoughts, but in no way is it less heated. He can feel Karl smile into the kiss and they break apart only to press more chaste kisses against Karl’s lips, letting himself enjoy this moment. 

They finally pull apart for real, but Karl’s hands remain on Sapnap’s face and his hand is still tangled in the boy’s sweater, neither of them make a move to leave the position. Sapnap can’t help but smile as he looks at the boy in front of him.

Karl bites his lip, trying and failing to hide a smile as he says, “I hate to say it, but Alex is gonna ask me what took so long.” 

“It’s fine,” Sapnap shrugs, letting the boy go, already missing the warmth from having him so close, “Uh, so, does this mean that counted as a date?”

The boy laughs at this, nodding as he says, “It can, but I’d much rather just take you on a real date where we actually know ahead of time.” 

“Okay,” is all Sapnap can get out, his mind at a loss for words as he tries to take in what just happened. “Okay, yeah.”

“I’ll text you,” Karl is practically giddy as he turns around. Sapnap thinks that’s the last of it, but after a second Karl turns back around, stepping up to press one last kiss to his lips before leaving for real. 

Sapnap stands there in shock for a moment before heading back into his building, still absolutely reeling. His cheeks are still flushed as he walks into his dorm where Dream and George are sitting playing a video game together. 

They stop when they hear him walk in, with Dream turning and asking, “What the hell happened to you?”

He just laughs, “Uh, I think I solved the sexuality crisis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen.. i needed to give y'all some fluffy shit it's good for the soul, fluff is all I write you know this by now!
> 
> anyway, I posted a [dnf oneshot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786149) if y'all wanna check that out! 
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sometimesnic)   
>  [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5nLYXBKy9QZ7okZD1um95s)


	6. First Date Jitters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap has less than twenty-four hours until he's going on his first date with Karl. Understandably, he's kind of freaking out.

“So, I have a date. Like, an  _ actual _ date, with a dude, I’ve never  _ gone _ on a date with a guy,” Sapnap rants breathlessly as he paces around his dorm room with Dream watching him with careful eyes, his pencil tapping against his desk as work he planned on getting done was interrupted by Sapnap’s nerves. “What if it sucks? Like, what if we’re putting too much pressure on each other and it makes things awkward? I don’t wanna make things awkward with him, I like him! Dream, why are you being so quiet?”

Dream holds back the smile he’s been fighting the entire time he’s been watching this go down, which has just about passed the ten-minute mark, as he gives his best friend a pointed look, “You literally went on a date with him on Tuesday. Like, you literally made out with him, came in here and confessed your bisexuality, freaked out, and then gushed about him for like two hours. You’re freaking out over nothing.” 

“Weren’t you nervous to go on your first date with George?” Sapnap asked, trying to recall how Dream’s attitude had been forever ago before he and George were an established thing. He didn’t remember exactly what he had been saying, but he knew Dream had to have been nervous. It was a completely normal thing to be nervous about— dating was scary. Especially when it turns out you think you really like the person you’re going on a date with and you’re absolutely terrified of the chance you might fuck it up. 

“Sapnap, George had already seen me fully naked by the time we started going on actual dates, I cannot offer you any empathy here,” Dream wheezed, “I’m no help, but I will tell you that you’re totally freaking out over nothing. Just treat him like you always do, clearly, it worked because he wants to take you on a date. So, just chill out and treat it like any other outing with him.” 

The younger of the two just slumps back onto his bed, his back meeting the soft sheets as he thinks back to him and Karl pressed up against each other while they watched a movie. He missed the warmth they had shared, he missed the warmth from when they kissed. This was going to drive him crazy and he still had a whole entire day to get through before his plans with Karl. The waiting was what was going to kill him, he just knew it. He couldn’t just rip the bandaid off and get it over with so his nerves could settle, no that would be too easy, he had to  _ wait.  _

“I’m gonna go get some coffee so I have a task to complete so I don’t have to think about this,” Sapnap decided as he sat up rod-straight and looked over his roommate who was still laughing at him. “Why are you laughing? Nothing’s funny about this.”

“Au contraire,” Dream stumbled over the French phrase between his giggle, “You’re an idiot, just go get your coffee. Get something decaf or else I’m pretty sure you’ll combust.”

“I am not going to combust!” Sapnap exclaimed as he left the dorm room, pulling his jacket across his form as he prepared himself for the cool January afternoon that awaited him outdoors. He sighed as the cold hissed at his skin, but it wasn’t overly unbearable and he was probably going to get iced coffee anyways so he was no stranger to a chill. He had become somewhat of a regular at the campus cafe since finals last semester, more often than not he ran into Karl there because the universe was no doubt trying to drive him insane. At least there was less uncertainty facing the two of them now as it was no longer some mysterious, misunderstood feeling. Now, he knew what he felt and he had few qualms with it other than the fact that he had first date nerves. First date nerves were something he could handle. In fact, he even found himself hoping he might run into Karl while he picks up his coffee.

Instead, as he enters the cafe, he sees Alex. That in and of itself is strange considering the two boys are rarely separated. He looks up when the bell dings and waves at Sapnap who happily waves back, opting to order his coffee before stopping to chat. He places his order and walks over to where the boy is sitting. 

“Hey, dude, what’s up? Good to see ya,” Alex greets with a friendly smile, “So… Karl told me you guys are goin’ out tomorrow?”

“He told you?” Sapnap asked, already feeling his cheeks going red, “Yeah, yeah, we are.” 

“You know I was really holding out hope that Karl would never find a serious boyfriend because if you two start dating that means we’ll all be connected through Dream and George and I will be the  _ only  _ single one, do you know what you’re doing to me?  _ Do you know? _ ” The boy’s tone was joking, but Sapnap already knew he was bright red just at the words “serious” and “boyfriend.” He and Karl weren’t anything defined ( _ yet _ , he hoped), but it all seemed to depend on how things went tomorrow which made it that much more terrifying. 

Sapnap just avoided the other’s playful grin as his gaze landed on his own shoes against the linoleum floor, saying, “Yeah, sorry, bro, it’s not my fault you get no bitches.”

“I’m telling Karl you were mean to me,” Alex shakes his head immediately, but it’s clear he’s holding back, “No, but, for real? Don’t tell him I told you this, but like, he was kinda geeking about you when you left the other day it was nice, I haven’t seen him like that about someone in a while. So, thanks for making him happy even if it’s nothing too serious.” 

Admittedly, Sapnap was both touched and overwhelmed. He liked the idea of making Karl happy, that much he knew and that was the part he was going to focus on before his nerves could get the best of him. His head perked up as he heard the barista call out his name for his drink.

“Uh, I should, I should probably get that, but thanks for telling me that, I’ll be… keeping that in mind. See ya around, Alex.”

“See ya,” he called after him as Sapnap grabbed his drink and left the cafe, feeling more confident about tomorrow than he had before. As he walked back to the dorm, he began to entertain the idea of things getting more serious with Karl. Surprisingly, he found he quite liked the idea. He liked it more than he was willing to admit. He found himself smiling all the way back to the dorms. His nerves had actually calmed (despite pumping more caffeine into his system against Dream’s wishes, but he had survived worse in times of false energy) and he found himself looking forward to the date. A date with Karl. Karl who could become something more. Sapnap thought back to kissing Karl outside his dorm building the other day and how his fingers had tangled in his soft dark hair and the warmth he felt in every place they touched. He knew he would happily do it again (and again, and again). 

He bit back his smile as he entered his dorm, Dream spinning around in his desk chair, likely still expecting Sapnap to be freaking out. The dirty blond raised an eyebrow, “Coffee that good, huh?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Sapnap groaned, rolling his eyes at his roommate as he sat on his bed and sipped his drink, “Is it… is it weird if I like the idea of Karl being my boyfriend? I’ve never… I’ve never wanted one of those before.”

Dream just laughed at this, “Well, first time for everything. No, it’s not weird, I mean, clearly, he likes you too, or else he wouldn’t have asked you out. Let’s just see how tomorrow goes, hm?”

He nodded, “Let’s see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i gave y'all a kiss last chapter so I'm making you wait for the date also I made an account for reccing karlnap fics on twitter so feel free to check it out I'm too lazy to link it but its karlnapficrecs!!


	7. The Boyfriend Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap and Karl go on a date

“Okay, so, I know it’s not the most complicated or like thought out thing in the world, but there’s this really good taco place that’s like a five-minute walk from campus and they’re so nice there, the old lady who owns it always squeezes my cheeks so you  _ know _ the foods good,” Karl’s already rambling the second the two of them meet up outside of Sapnap’s dorm. He can’t help but smile as he looks a the boy, wanting nothing more than to just grab his face and kiss him. However, that would probably be a bit forward so he holds back. 

Instead, he just nudged Karl’s shoulder with his own before lacing their fingers together. It was warm and made his stomach feel fuzzy, but it felt natural. Their fingers slotted together like they were made to go hand-in-hand. As soon as he made contact, Karl sputtered at the end of his mutterings, a small smile forming on his face. 

“Tacos sound great,” Sapnap assured, pulling the boy along so they would get moving instead of standing static against the building, “The family-owned ones are the best anyway. I still love Taco Bell, though.”

Karl snorted at this, “Well, duh, you don’t go to Taco Bell for fine cuisine, you go because it’s Taco Bell. This place, though, trust me, you’re there for the food.”

“Lead the way,” the blond nodded, falling into step beside him with ease. The evening air was cold and as they passed Greek row, there were already sounds of parties celebrating the upcoming weekend. Sapnap can’t help but think of the first party he saw Karl at only a few weeks ago. So much had changed since then -- back then he wouldn’t have thought that he would be on a  _ date _ with that pretty boy from the party. Yet now here he was. 

“You’re all quiet, what’s up?” Karl asked, his voice sounding almost nervous. Looking over, he saw that the boy was already looking at him. “Something’s not wrong, right? Did I mess this up already?”

Sapnap couldn’t help but laugh as he squeezed the boy’s hand affectionately, leaning into him slightly as they walked. He shook his head, reassuring, “Not at all, this is perfect, I’m just… thinking. This is… this is never something I’ve wanted before, it’s not something I ever thought about. I’m just… getting used to how things have changed, I guess. I like it, though, I really like it. Does that, does that make sense? I don’t feel like I’m making any sense right now. Mind’s all over the place. In a good way, I swear.”

“I believe you,” Karl giggled, nudging the boy with his shoulder again, “ _ You  _ have a crush on me, I can’t believe it. What a  _ loser.” _

The boy shook his head, disconnecting their hands as he put space between them, mockingly saying, “Wow, just wow, Karl. I open up my heart to you and this is how you treat—”

And then Karl is kissing him. And it feels right. It feels so undeniably right. Sapnap brought his hands up to cup Karl’s face, relishing in the warmth beneath his fingertips from the boy’s soft cheeks, smiling into the kiss because he knows he’ll never be able to get enough of this. The night air surrounding them is cold, but together they share so much warmth there isn’t a single goosebump. When they pull away, Sapnap already feels himself craving that warmth once more. He finds it in the way Karl laced their fingers together, tugging him along the sidewalk.

“C’mon, I’m hungry,” he groaned, pulling the boy along with a dopey smile on his face. He turned around to face Sapnap, his face scrunching up in a way that just makes Sapnap want to kiss the tip of his nose. “You’re cute when you’re all flustered. Your cheeks are so pink.”

Sapnap just rolled his eyes, scoffing as Karl pulls him so they’re facing each other, pressing the pad of his finger against his warm (and probably annoyingly pink) cheek, giggling as it turns white. “I love making you blush.”

“At this rate, we’re never making it to dinner, Jacobs, come  _ on,”  _ he groaned, using the opportunity to pull the boy along, “I want tacos!”

“So  _ needy,”  _ Karl teased, falling into step alongside him. “Also sue me, I just like to look at you.”

“Oh do you now?”

He nodded, “Sure do. You know, that first night we met in the library, this is gonna sound totally creepy, oh god, I was totally staring at you, but like not in a gross way, I kept just like checking to see if you were gonna wake up and then I started… admiring your face. You smile a little in your sleep, you know.”

“I know, Dream makes fun of me for it.” He looked over at Karl, admiring the way the streetlights against the rising moonlight highlight his soft features. “So, who’s got the crush now?”

“Well, duh, I had a crush on you the moment I met you,” Karl admitted with a whisper, his eyes darting to observe the scenery instead of looking at Sapnap, clearly nervous about the words that had just left his mouth. After a moment, he cleared his throat and added, “I just, uh, didn’t think you’d ever be on the same page, not after the party.”

Sapnap groaned, “Oh,  _ God, _ I do not want to remember that party. Total disaster. I wish I’d realized I liked guys sooner so I could have actually flirted back, but instead I just looked like an idiot.”

Surprisingly, the other boy just shrugged, their eyes meeting under the streetlight. They stopped for a moment and Sapnap wondered just how long it was going to take for them to get to this taco place if they kept stopping like this. Still, he didn’t mind. The more time he got with Karl, the better. 

“I mean,” Karl whispered, “it led us here, so I’m not really complaining.”

“And where is here?” he mused, leaning in until their foreheads were pressed against each other. He felt warm and fuzzy all over; he never wanted to stop feeling like this. 

The brunette hummed, “ _ Here _ is where I finally ask you what I’ve been hyping myself up to all night.”

“Hm, and that would be?”

“I think you know.”

Sapnap shook his head, “Nuh-uh, I wanna hear you say it.”

“Asshole,” Karl laughed, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to Sapnap’s lips before pulling away to ask, “What do you say we do this? The boyfriend thing?”

“The boyfriend thing?”

The other laughed and nodded, swinging their arms together, repeating, “ _ Yes,  _ the boyfriend thing. I’m in if you are.”

Sapnap kissed him again, saying, “Oh, I am so in.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey bad news if you guys looked at the chapter count... i expected this to be ten chapters but as i started writing chapter seven, i was like "hey, this kinda... seems like a good place to stop it." so, this is where it's ending because I want to give Karl and Sapnap a good ending instead of one that was dragged out and unnecessary so yeah.. the end, i guess! check me out at the places below if u want more from me!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/nicowritess)   
>  [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/andrewjminyvrd)


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